macnrg

this post actually has a dual serving purpose. the first is let you all know about the new look and microsite we developed for nyc based apple consulting firm macnrg and the second is to give them a shameless plug because they’re our friends and we like them and the work they do, anyway.

apple logo over the years

although macnrg is all things mac, they specialize in final cut pro server and video systems. because of that,  while we were thinking about their logo design - we thought we’d have a bit of fun and play off the apple brand. if you like, you can read a quick little history of the apple logo. we decided to turn the apple into a tv monitor. the leaf fells like an aerial antenna in our design (how analog lol). then we gave it a late 20th century glow effect to match the ‘nrg’ name. we think it’s a good blend of old and new.

macnrg has installed and set up our file server and is now in the process of running the voip line for our other friends, cult360. rob (the director at mcnrg) would like us to use the logo in an animation for the site, but we’ll see… it all depends on how good he sets up our fcp server ;P

children.org

today was one of those days. i should have realized it when i was stuck in the train for an extra 45 minutes on my way to work. things didn’t really get any better when i got there. the details of what occurred are really not the point. the point is that there are any number of things in a day that can go wrong. they can make us sad or angry or vain or happy even. we complain about or parents, children, spouses, the work we don’t have and about the work when we have it…but if we just take a step back and focus on our feelings there are many observations that we can see about ourselves and our world.

the results of today’s emotional upheaval really bummed me out and i was moping around soho. i called my wife to tell her i was going to go to the apple store to buy an ipod nano to replace the one she had lost (she remarked that i shop when i’m depressed). on my way down west broadway i noticed the familiar blue vests of the volunteers of some children’s charity - i didn’t know the name then. as i approached, one of the young ladies came up to me and asked if i had a minute. “sorry, no” i said as i hurried quickly around her.

two steps past her, i thought to myself: ‘what a fucking selfish bastard’. here was a young person who was giving up precious time for a worthwhile cause: to help save children around the world. the more i walked down the commercial bordello of soho  - with $5000 dresses in boutique windows - the more i kept thinking about all the underprivileged children of the world and the chances for education, health care and even fresh food and clean water that they don’t have. some of them wait for days and weeks for help and i couldn’t give 1 minute of my time.

i kept thinking that one of those children somewhere may one day save the life of my child (six degrees of separation anyone? global village anyone?). on my way back, I SPONSORED A CHILD FOR A YEAR FOR LESS MONEY THAN I SPENT AT THE APPLE STORE IN 10 MINUTES.